When Colorado lawmakers this week launch into a civil unions bill they are expected to pass, they likely will face far less drama than in years past, yet they will do so with even less Republican support.

Four of the Republicans who had supported the measure weren't coming back after the 2012 session.

And moderate Republicans running in swing districts in the metro area in November lost to Democrats, who now control both the Senate and the House for the next two years, ensuring passage of the civil unions measure.

"When you have more Democrats, you have fewer moderate Republicans, but I'll take those odds," said Sen. Pat Steadman, a gay Denver Democrat and the bill's sponsor.

Senate Bill 11is scheduled to be heard Wednesday afternoon by the Senate Judiciary Committee, starting at 1:30 p.m. The bill allows gay couples to form civil unions, and sets forth the rights, responsibilities and requirements of those entering a civil union.

"How much more is there really to say about this? We've heard it before. People understand this. This is family law," he said.

This year's bill no longer includes a provision that exempts adoption agencies from placing children with same-sex couples, which has upset Catholic adoption and foster agencies.

"The current version of Senate Bill 11 contains a potential for serious conflict with religious liberty that religious institutions may encounter in relation to charitable services, adoption and foster care," said Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference.

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But Steadman responded that the Catholic Church didn't like the bill when it had the exemption, and testified against it last year.

"Near as I can tell, there's no pleasing them, so I'm not even going to try," Steadman said.

The Colorado Catholic Conference has organized a rally to "support and protect marriage" from noon to 1 p.m. Friday on the west steps of the State Capitol.

Last year, three Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the civil-unions bill in the Senate: Nancy Spence of Centennial, who was term-limited; Ellen Roberts of Durango, who is back this year and expects to support the measure; and Jean White of Hayden, who lost her primary race to Sen. Randy Baumgardner, R-Cowdrey. He opposes the bill.

The GOP-controlled House last year refused to call the bill up for a hearing on the floor, dooming the measure in breathtaking fashion.

The bill had survived three House committee hearings with the support of a single Republican in each committee: Reps. B.J. Nikkel of Loveland, who didn't run after her district was redrawn; Don Beezley of Broomfield, who chose not to run again; and Cheri Gerou of Evergreen, who has signed on as a bill co-sponsor.

For Steadman, the knowledge that his civil unions bill will pass is bittersweet: His partner, Dave Misner, died last summer after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.

"If this bill passes, I will avail myself of it," Steadman said when he presented the bill in committee in 2012. "I am a member of the class of unmarried persons who are eligible for this relationship, and it is one that I would seek."

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